Collapsible reel drum



Oct. 2, 1956 K. P. SCHLESINGER 2,765,125

COLLAPSIBLE REEL DRUM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 26, 1952 INVENTOR KURT v1 SCHLESINGER BY W ms ATTORNEY Oct. 2, 1956 K. P. SCHLESINGER 2,765,125

COLLAPSIBLE REEL DRUM Filed Nov. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 55 k\ U H m f1 INVENTOR Ku RT I? Semssmesn BY WM 1115 ATTORNEY Oct. 2, 1956 P. SZHLESINGER 2,765, 5

COLLAF'SIBLE REEL DRUM Filed Nov. 26, 1952 3 Sheen s-sheet s INVENTOR KURT P SCHLESINGER HIS ATTORNEY COLLAPSIBLE REEL DRUNI Kurt P. Schlesinger, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United Engineering & Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 26, 1952, Serial No. 322,760

8 Claims. (Cl. 242-72) This invention relates to apparatus for use in supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils, and more particularly to an expansible and collapsible reel drum adapted to be placed within a coil of metal to be unwound and expanded to engage the inner convolutions thereof for supporting the coil and preventing relative rotation between the reel and the coil when tension is applied to the strip as it is unwound.

Coil supporting pay-E reels normally employed for paying ofi coils are of such a construction that, due to the inherent weakness thereof, it becomes necessary to provide an additional support in the form of an outboard hearing at the free end thereof for assisting in preventing objectionable deflection or bending of the shaft. Such types of pay-oi reels are quite limited in their application by reason of the incorporation therein of a small diameter main shaft so that only relatively light coils of metal can be supported thereon for unwinding under tensions which must remain relatively light to avoid damaging the reel.

The expansible-collapsible reel drum disclosed herein is of such a design that there is included therein a relatively heavy rugged shaft upon which there is rotatably mounted a sleeve having cams secured on the outer surface thereof, a plurality of segments encircling the sleeve and provided with complementary cam surfaces engaging with the cams of the sleeve, yieldable members such as springs or the like which are secured to and normally urge the segments into their collapsed positions, and a clutch for securing the sleeve and the shaft together for preventing relative rotation between the two. The reel construction disclosed herein is such that the collapsed outside diameter thereof is quite small and yet the inherent strength thereof is much greater than the types of pa -ofE reels normally used and which have been referred to heretofor.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an expansible-collapsible reel drum of small diameter yet having sufficient inherent strength for supporting relatively heavy metal coils thereon without the necessity of employing additional reinforcing or supporting members, such as an outboard bearing or the like, for preventing undesirable deflections normally caused by the winding of coil and the heavy unwinding tensions applied to the strip.

It is another object of this invention to provide an expansible-collapsible reel drum which is relatively simple to construct and maintain and which employs a minimum of operating elements.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a segmental expansible-collapsible reel drum having the elements thereof so related that expansion of the drum may be readily accomplished, and, by means of the locking arrangement between the expanding elements and the shaft, inadvertent collapse thereof prevented during the time the metal is being unwrapped from the coil supported thereon.

These objects, as well as the various other novel fea- 2365325 l atented Oct. 2, 1956 tures and advantages of this invention, will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a reel including a partial sectional portion of the expanding and braking mechanism thereof,

Figure 2 is a sectional longitudinal view of the body of the reel shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken at IIl1II of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 but showing the reel in its expanded position,

Figure 5 is an end view of the reel drum in its collapsed position,

Figure 6 is an end View of the reel drum in its expanded position,

Figure 7 is a view taken at VIIVII of Figure 2, and

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but showing the reel in its expanded position.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a reel 11 the central shaft 12 of which is supported in bearings 13 and 14 mounted in a frame 15 slidably adjustable along suitable ways upon a base 16. Also mounted on the slidable frame there is a motor 17 connected to a speed reducer 18 which by a magnetic clutch 19 is connected into driving arrangement with a train of gears 21, 22 and 23. The shaft of the gear 23 also has mounted thereon a pinion 24 which meshes with a ring gear 25 secured to a one-half portion 26a of a clutch 26. As shown in Figure 2, portion 26a is attached by bolts 27 to four projections 28 extending from the reel expanding sleeve 29 which is slidably mounted on the main reel shaft 12. The other half 2617 of clutch 26 is splined at 36 upon the shaft 12 so that it may be engaged with the portion 26a, as shown in Figure 2, for locking together the shaft 12 and the reel expanding sleeve 29 for a purpose to be defined hereinafter.

Between the two bearings 13 and 14 there is keyed to the shaft 12 a large gear 31, one gear of a train comprising smaller gear 32 with which it meshes and a gear 33, supported on the shaft 34 of gear 32, which meshes with a pinion 35 supported upon a shaft 36 which by a coupling 37 is connected to the shaft 38 of a generator 39. Mounted upon the shaft 38 there is a drum 41 of a friction brake which may be used when additional braking is to be added to that provided by the dynamic braking action of the generator 39.

For adjusting the reel laterally with respect to the pass line of a mill or other processing line in order to center the strip with respect thereto, there is mounted upon the base 16 an hydraulic cylinder 42 having the outer end of the piston rod 43, of a double-acting piston, secured to the slidable frame 15 upon which the reel, the expanding drive and braking elements are mounted.

With reference to Figures 2 through 8, the reel expanding sleeve 29 is provided with a plurality of pairs of earns 44 and 45 which engage with the pairs of surfaces 46 and 47 respectively provided on the inner sides of each of the four reel segments 48. As will be noted particularly in Figures 3 and 4, the cam 44 has a steeper angle and is more pronounced than the cam 45. The formation of the cams and cam surfaces is such as to provide substantial contact of the cams with the surfaces 46 and 47 at all times and to insure radial movement of the segments when the cams are actuat d. So that the cam surfaces of the sleeve and segments are always drawn together, a pair of tension springs 49 is provided for each segment. The springs are attached to the segments by a pin 51 and to the sleeve at the projections 52. Access to the spring end attached to the pin 51 is gained through an opening 53 normally closed by a threaded plug 54. To the outer end of the shaft 12 there is secured by bolts 55 a cap 56 having circumferentially spaced slots 57 on the inner surface thereof. Within each of the slots 57 there is slidably received a projection 58 extending inwardly from each of the segments, thus permitting radial movement of the segments while preventing circumferential displacement relative to one another.

At the opposite end of each of the segments there is an arm 59 extending outward at right angles from the segments which is slidably received within one of a plurality of radial slots 61 formed Within one face of a drum 62. The segments thus are permitted to slide radially but are prevented from being circumferentially displaced with respect to one another. At the outer end of each of the slots 61 there is provided a stop plug secured to the drum as shown in Figure 5. The drum 62 is keyed at its hub 63 to the main reel shaft 12. Four openings 64 in the drum 62 serve as windows through which pass the sleeve projections 28 to which is secured the clutch portion 26a.

As is noted in Figures 3 and 4, the cam elements .4 and 45 are not of the same curvature but they are so formed as to insure radial movement of the segments 43 so that on expansion of the reel, the curved surfaces form arcuate portions of a circular drum.

The operation of the reel embodying the features of my invention may be briefly summarized as follows:

A coil, by means of a coil car or the like, is placed upon the reel which is in the collapsed condition. In order to expand the reel to grip the coil thereon, the clutch 19 is engaged and the motor 17 slowly rotated in a direction to so rotate the ring gear and the sleeve 29 to cause the cams 44 and 45 thereof to force the reel segments '43 outwardly. As soon as the segments 43 have moved radially outward sufficiently to engage firmly the coil suppor ed thereon, the clutch 26 is engaged thus locking together the shaft 12 and the sleeve 29 thus to prevent collapse of the reel. The clutch 19 is disengaged at the same time to permit free rotation of the reel assembly. In the event the coil is not properly centered with respect to the mill or other processing equipment through which the strip is to be passed, the reversible hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly 43 and 42 is actuated to move the reel, the reel expanding drive and the braking assembly with respect to the frame 15 to the desired position.

So as to a t in paying out suflicient strip from the coil for threading into the mill, the generator 3? may be operated as a motor. During actual rolling when it is necessary to apply back-tension to the strip, dynamic braking action is provided by the generator 39. If for any reason additional tension is to be imposed upon the strip without changing the resistance offered by the generator 39, then the friction brake associated with the drum 4-1 may be utilized.

Upon completion of the unwinding of a coil supported on the pa -ofr reel, the clutch 19 is again reengaged, the clutch 26 disengaged and the motor 17 slowly rotated in the opposite direction to that required for expanding the drum. The reel segments are thereby caused to move radially inward thus collapsing the reel and placing it in condition for the reception of a new coil thereon.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a sleeve mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, projections at the inner end of said sleeve extending in an axial direction relative thereto, a plurality of diametrically oppositely spaced cams integral with and on the outer surface of said sleeve, a plurality of segmental members, cam surfaces formed on said members for engaging with the cams of said sleeve, a plurality of springs connected to said segments and to said sleeve normally biasing the segments toward their inward positions, a drive, a first clutch arranged between said drive and the projections on said sleeve for operatively connecting said drive to and for rotating said sleeve in a direction relative to said shaft to cause the segments to move outwardly into their coil engaging positions, and a second clutch for securing the sleeve and the shaft together for preventing relative rotation therebetween.

2. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a member mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of cams diametrically oppositely disposed and extending along the length of said member, a plurality of segments, cam surfaces formed on the inner surface of said segments for engagement with the cams of said member, a plurality of yieldable elements connected to said segments and to said member normally biasing the segments toward said member and into their collapsed positions, a drive adapted to be connected to and for rotating said member in a direction relative to said shaft to cause the segments to move outwardly to engage the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and locking means for securing said member and said shaft together thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

3. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a sleeve mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of diametrically opposite outwardly projecting cams integral with said sleeve, a plurality of diametrically opposite segmental members, complementary cam surfaces formed on the inner surface of said members for engaging with the cams of said sleeve, a plurality of springs connected to said segments and to said sleeve normally biasing the segments toward their inward positions, a drive adapted to be connected to said sleeve for so rotating said sleeve in one direction relative to said shaft thus to cause the segments to move outwardly to engage the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and in the opposite direction to cause the segments to move inwardly to collapse the reel, and locking means between said sleeve and shaft thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

4. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a sleeve mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of diametrically opposite outwardly projecting cams integral with said sleeve, a plurality of diametrically opposite segmental members, a pair of cam surfaces formed on each of said members for engaging with a pair of adjacent cams of said sleeve, a plurality of springs connected to said segments and to said sleeve normally biasing the segments toward their inward positions, a drive adapted to be connected to said sleeve for so rotating said sleeve in one direction relative to said shaft thus to cause the segments to move outwardly to engage the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and in the opposite direction to cause the segments to move inwardly to collapse the reel, and a clutch for locking the sleeve and the shaft together thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

5. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting in the unwinding position relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a plurality of diametrically opposite outwardly proiecting cams, cam supporting means mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of diametrically oppositely disposed segmental members, a pair of cam surfaces formed on each of said members for engaging with a pair of adjacent cams, means connecting together and permitting limited movement between said segments and said cam supporting means, a drive adapted to be connected to and for rotating said cam supporting means in one direction relative to said shaft thus to cause the segments to move outwardly into engage ment with the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and in the opposite direction to cause the segments to move inwardly to collapse the reel, and a clutch for locking the cam supporting means and the shaft together thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

6. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting in the unwinding position relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a plurality of pairs of diametrically opposite outwardly projecting cams, one cam of each pair being formed with a steeper angle than the other, cam supporting means mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of diametrically oppositely disposed segmental members, a pair of cam surfaces formed on each of said members for engaging with a pair of adjacent cams, means connecting together and permitting limited movement between said segments and said cam supporting means, a drive adapted to be connected to and for rotating said cam supporting means in one direction relative to said shaft thus to cause the segments to move outwardly into engagement with the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and in the opposite direction to cause the segments to move inwardly to collapse the reel, and a clutch for locking the cam supporting means and the shaft together thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

7. An expansible and collapsible reel drum in accordance with claim 1 including means for shifting said reel in an axial direction.

8. An expansible and collapsible reel drum for supporting and unwinding relatively heavy metal coils comprising a shaft, a member mounted upon and rotatable relative to said shaft, a plurality of cams extending along the length of said member, a plurality of reel segments, cam surfaces formed on the inner surface of said segments for engagement with the cams of said member, a plurality of yieldable elements connected to said segments and to said member normally biasing the segments toward said member and into their collapsed positions, a drive adapted to be connected to and for rotating said member in a direction relative to said shaft to impart movement to the segments restricted to a radial direction thereby to engage the inner convolution of a coil placed thereon, and locking means for securing said member and said shaft together thereby to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,115,057 Delaney Oct. 27, 1914 2,196,489 Bennett Apr. 9, 1940 2,211,471 Klein Aug. 13, 1940 2,256,400 Matthews Sept. 16, 1941 

